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Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Cut Grocery Costs, add More Nutrition

I don't use ground beef much in cooking. Partially because it is the more expensive meat, partially because it's not exactly healthy.

I read a lot of articles regarding a whole foods diet, which includes real, organic meat (beef included). I have read the benefits of organic, grass fed beef. I was please to find out here that adding organic beef to your diet can actually improve your health. Knowing the benefits (including improving good cholesterol, lower calories than conventional beef) I have still been hesitant to purchase beef. The organic version is so expensive!

A few days ago, I had a brilliant idea. I could cut the cost of buying organic grass fed ground beef, cut the calories (because I think even healthy foods should be eaten in moderation), and add in more nutrients.

How?

I purchased 1 pound of organic grass fed ground beef and 2 pounds of sweet potatoes. My total cost was $6. I peeled the sweet potatoes, cut them into very small chunks, and cooked them on the stove with some onions. When they were almost done, I added in the pound of beef and taco seasoning. After cooking it for about 15 minutes, I added in 1/2 cup of water.

My end result was delicious, nutrient-dense taco meat! 3 pounds worth of lower calorie taco "meat" for about $2 a pound.

If buying organic is not your goal, and you are simply trying to cut costs, you could cut your regular ground beef with regular potatoes, which are extremely inexpensive. In most cases, you will only want to use a 1 to 1 ratio to keep the flavor from changing too much.

If you have been following the One Step Up Challenge, this would be perfect for the Spice Challenge! Taco meat already includes chili powder, so that's one super spice. You can also add in some turmeric, oregano, rosemary and thyme (not too heavy on the thyme or turmeric) and you have a meal chocked full of antioxidants, vitamins and protein!